Debbie Weeks

I started in the Red Cross as an undergraduate, where I became a volunteer First Aid and CPR instructor. I went on to become an Emergency Medical Technician and was the Captain of the College-based ambulance. After earning a Chemistry Ph.D. in 2002, I moved to Hilo to take a professor of Chemistry position at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo. I have been the Hawai’i County Red Cross Director of Disaster Services since July of 2016, just in time for Hurricane Darby.

I train and direct nearly 200 Red Cross volunteers on the Big Island and work collaboratively and cooperatively with other agencies, including: Hawai’i County Civil Defense, Fire Department and Parks and Recreation; State of Hawai’i Department of Health and Department of Education; Hawai’i Island United Way, Salvation Army, Humane Society, Food Basket and many others. Together we help build community resiliency and provide relief in times of disaster.

I also assist in training and deploying Red Cross volunteers to disasters around the country and the world.

Sessions

February 15, 2018

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Community Forums is a private non-profit organization with a 501c (3) designation from the IRS. Its mission is to bring educational resources to the residents of West Hawai'i so they can better participate in the public policy issues that affect their lives and their communities.